Saab to provide semi-autonomous Double Eagle undersea system to Kuwait

BEIRUT — The U.S. Navy has hired Saab to provide the Double Eagle undersea vehicle to Kuwait, according to a Dec. 11 news release from the Swedish firm.

The Kuwait Naval Force is to receive the semi-autonomous, remotely operated system through the Pentagon’s Foreign Military Sales program.

Asked about details, a Saab spokesperson pointed to a Dec. 4 Navy contract award notice, which said the deal is worth almost $16 million.

The Double Eagle can launch from several types of craft and from the shore to carry out mine countermeasure missions. Users can store the vehicle in standard containers.

According to Saab, the system can both detect and dispose of mines.

“We are excited to introduce the production of this undersea vehicle capability to the U.S.,” Erik Smith, president and CEO of Saab’s U.S. subsidiary, said in the release.

The company said its American division will produce system parts in collaboration with other production centers located in Sweden, the U.K. and Denmark.

Agnese Stracquadanio is a Middle East correspondent for Defense News. She has a background in writing and photojournalism, holds a master's degree in international relations, and previously worked for Reuters.

贝鲁特——据瑞典萨博公司12月11日发布的新闻稿称，美国海军已聘请萨博公司向科威特提供“双鹰”水下航行器。

科威特海军将通过五角大楼的对外军售计划接收这套半自主、远程操控系统。

当被问及细节时，萨博公司的一位发言人指出，海军于 12 月 4 日发布了一份合同授予通知，其中称该交易价值近 1600 万美元。

双鹰无人机可从多种类型的飞行器和岸上起飞，执行扫雷任务。用户可将该无人机存放于标准集装箱内。

萨博公司表示，该系统既可以探测地雷，也可以清除地雷。

“我们很高兴将这种水下航行器的生产能力引入美国，”萨博美国子公司总裁兼首席执行官埃里克·史密斯在新闻稿中表示。

该公司表示，其美国分公司将与位于瑞典、英国和丹麦的其他生产中心合作生产系统部件。

阿格尼斯·斯特拉夸达尼奥是《防务新闻》的中东记者。她拥有写作和摄影新闻背景，持有国际关系硕士学位，此前曾在路透社工作。